Take Me Out to the Ball Game
by DawnTwilight
Summary: Sam gets a little lost and Dean freaks out.


Notes: Summer of Sam Love 2012 Day 11

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He could smell the hot dogs and pulled pork barbeque in the air, could hardly see where he was going as they pushed through the throng of people and could hear the swift crack of a bat as a line drive was hit and the crowd surged to their feet and began a roaring cheer.

They were in Baltimore…Dean had somehow talked their dad into letting them buy some cheap seats for an Orioles game, but Sam didn't know much about either team, figuring he should root for the home team, just like the song said.

He stayed close to his brother as they rode an escalator up another concourse level and then another until they had reached the very top deck, but he didn't have to hold Dean's hand anymore…he was a big boy now.

An elderly usher looked at the tickets Dean handed him, pointing a crooked finger up at the top row. "Go to the left and your seats are in the middle there."

Dean thanked the man and pocketed the tickets, starting to climb the steep risers, up and up and up until finally they were at the back row.

They excused themselves as they shuffled and climbed over feet and legs of other game goers before they finally reached their seats and flopped down.

It was already into the fourth inning, but that was okay. Nine innings was a long time to sit and watch the guys on the field and Sam could only remember seeing one game on the TV, had never played more then to just toss a ball around or bat with his Uncle Bobby.

A vendor ran up and down the steep steps, a pallet filled with soda, popcorn and peanuts held in front of him and Sam's mouth watered and he looked longingly toward the man, but he knew Dean didn't have any money.

In fact, his dad had encouraged his brother to boil a few hotdogs, on regular bread, because they didn't have any buns and some stolen mustard packets packed into his duffle.

Dean pulled out a crumpled bag of chips and handed them to Sam, standing and cheering when someone hit a home run.

Sam took a few from the bag, munching and people watching, seeing another vendor with soft pretzels and cotton candy this time and his tummy rumbled.

Dean plopped back down beside him and laughed, "I heard that dude…here," and he pulled a foil wrapped hot dog and a baggie with a slice of white bread from the duffle. "You want mustard? I got some ketchup from the last time we stopped in at McDonalds too," and he held a packet of each, but Sam only saw one and knew that Dean liked ketchup better so he grabbed for the mustard.

He balanced his food on his lap, getting his dog on to the bread and used his teeth to try to open his mustard. When that failed, he passed it over to his brother, who had his hand out and waiting, used his own teeth to open it, not caring that it had Sam's spit on it already.

He ate his food, wishing for a drink and watched the players swing and run and swing and dive for the bases and before he knew it, people were standing and clapping, a song Sam had never heard blared over the speakers, proclaiming, 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy,' and Sam yanked on Dean's sleeve and asked, "Is it over…who won?"

"No, buddy," Dean answered. "It's just the seventh inning stretch."

"Oh," he said, even though he had no idea what that meant.

The big screen showed a big orange and black bird dressed in a white and orange jersey, running around the field and if Sam looked down, he could see the same bird as on the screen, dancing, throwing out something to the crowd, but there was no way, even with the gun thingy, that the bird could get whatever it was way up to them.

Back to the screen he saw three hats, spinning around and round, a baseball hidden under one of them and Sam followed with his eyes, trying to guess where the ball would end up, excited when the last hat, the hat he had picked rose to show the ball tucked under it.

"I got it," he turned and told Dean, who was watching something down on the field. "I got it, Dean."

"That's great, bud…" but he knew that Dean wasn't really paying attention…not really.

"Quick Sammy, sit…sit."

So Sam did and a few seconds later everyone around him stood and threw their arms up in the air. He was a little late, but he jumped to his feet too and sat back down, just like Dean.

"It's coming again…wait…wait…now, Sammy."

And Sam got it right this time, jumping up with the rest of the crowd, seeing the ripple of others as people all over the stadium did the same.

"It's called a wave…"

And that made sense…it was like their arms were the water or maybe it was called that because they used their hands to wave. A few more rounds of the wave came by and then people seemed to sit or crawl over them to get to the aisle and then the song came on, the one Dean had been singing off key since they had found out the Orioles had a special price for the upper reserve seats.

"Take me out to the ball game…" Dean sang along, but Sam didn't remember all the words…not until they got to the, "One, two, three strikes, you're out," did he join in and before he knew it, the game had started again.

More people filtered into their row, reclaiming there seats and more vendors came by, calling, "Popcorn! Peanuts! Cotton Candy!" and even though Sam's belly wasn't hungry, he still wished for a sweet treat.

He was getting hot too.

The sun was beating down on them, they didn't have a roof over them like the people in the sections below and that made Sam remember he was thirsty, but he didn't think Dean would want to get up and take him to a water fountain, so he tapped his brother on the shoulder and when Dean turned to him, Sam said, "I gotta pee…"

Dean nodded, getting up. "Come on, Sammy…it's almost over and see that place down there…that area with the tables?"

Sam looked and nodded, but they were so far up and Sam really couldn't tell where his brother was pointing.

"After you're done, we'll head down there and get a closer look at the players and the field…maybe even catch a game ball."

Their level had bathrooms, but there was a line and Sam watched as they passed a few water fountains as they went back down the way they came.

Somewhere in the middle, the players didn't look so small now; Dean found a bathroom with a shorter line and a TV monitor that was showing the game. "Will you be Okay…be sure to wash your hands and come right back to meet me here…see, we are in front of the snack stand."

Sam nodded, getting in line, seeing Dean give him a little wave and then turned to watch the action on the screen. Sam had no idea what was happening, but the crowd in their seats cheered again, so Sam thought maybe an Oriole got a run home…or was it a home run?

He couldn't remember, not that it mattered.

The line was taking forever and he really didn't even have to go to the bathroom and he didn't see a water fountain near by, but maybe it was on the other side, so he got out of line and went to the other end, where a second exit was, but it didn't have one either. He could see a ladies room down the hall a little more and thought maybe that's were the fountains were, so he walked that way and sure enough, he found one.

He almost couldn't reach the stream of cool water, but he stood on his tippy toes and got a good drink.

Most water fountains tasted funny and Dean had warned him to never put his mouth on the spout.

You could get cooties from doing that and Sam did not want cooties…girls had them too and he wasn't a girl even though Dean liked to call him Samantha sometimes.

He took a few more sips and then stepped back to let a woman with a little girl on her hip get a drink.

When she was done, Sam stepped back in and drank his fill, dribbling water down his shirt, but he didn't care. When he was done, he looked around for his brother, but Dean wasn't in sight.

He looked right and then left, but there was so many people.

He didn't see a snack stand and that's where Dean had said to meet, so he went back the way he came, seeing a snack stand, but no Dean.

Maybe he went the wrong way?

He turned and retraced his steps, finding another men's room and snack shop, but still no Dean.

Was Dean lost?

Was he lost?

Dean's voice rang through his head, _'if you ever get lost, Sammy, find a police man or someone who works wherever you are and tell them you're lost…police men help lost kids all the time and don't be scared…I'll always come for you, okay?'_

Sam moved along with the crowd, still smelling hotdogs and popcorn and still hearing the crowd cheer, but it seemed like lots of people were going down on the escalator with him.

He looked at the people, trying to find one in a uniform, but he couldn't see any police men…and then he remembered that Dean wanted to go to the picnic area, maybe his brother would be there.

He found a sign with a picnic table and went that way, walking into the area, seeing a few families, kids playing at the tables with their mommy's and a row full of daddy's leaning against the fence watching the game.

Sam pushed through the men, one or two stepping aside so he could squeeze to the front and see the field…Dean was right, he was real close to the game now.

He looked up, trying to remember where they had been sitting and the people up there looked so tiny, there was no way he could see Dean if his brother was still up top.

Not caring about the shouts of the crowd or the men on the field running around in a circle, he pushed away from the fence and went toward a table with a woman holding a little boy on her lap…a baby, not a big boy like Sam.

She wasn't a police man, but she was a mom and that had to be better, so he walked up to her.

"Hello," she said. "Where's your mommy?"

He shrugged his shoulder, because he didn't have one, not now anyway and his dad would tell him every time he asked that his mommy was in heaven.

Heaven was a nice place where nice people got to go, but he liked it best when he asked Pastor Jim, because he would always tell Sam that one day, if he was a good boy, he would get to go to heaven too and see his mommy and he really, really wanted to see her.

"Are you lost?" she asked, standing and shifting the little boy to her hip.

He might be, but for sure Dean was, so he shrugged again.

"Okay, hon…just sit up here and I'll see about finding your mommy…Rick, Rick?"

A man over by the fence turned and came closer, looking worried, "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"This little boy is lost…go find someone to help us…"

The man nodded, walking over to a food stand and a woman in uniform came back with him, "hey, honey…I'm Stacy, what's your name?"

He wasn't sure if he should talk to her, give her his name, but he did what Dean told him to do, so he guessed he should. "Sam."

"Okay, Sam…Mike…a guy who helps kids when they get lost, he's on his way and he's gonna help you, okay…just hang tight."

Sam nodded, sitting on the bench by the woman and her baby, waiting with Stacy for Mike to come.

A guy came toward him and he looked like he could be a police man, but Sam didn't see a gun on his belt, only a big stick and a flash light.

Mike introduced himself, asking Sam some questions and told him he would try to page his brother when Sam told him that was who he came to the game with.

When he went away, Stacy came back, a ball cap and a bag of fluffy blue cotton candy in her hands. "Here ya go, Sam…these are for not being scared." She gave him the treat and put the ball cap on his head. "You're being so brave."

Why would he be scared?

Dean was coming…Dean always found him and no sooner had he thought it, but he heard his big brother calling his name.

"Sammy! Sammy, where have you been?"

His brother rushed forward, grabbing Sam up into a special bear hug, not an everyday hug and Dean's eyes looked wet and then Sam got scared, because Dean looked scared.

"I…I was…I found a grown up…"

"I see, buddy," Dean released him, starting to drag him away from the grownups by his hand and Stacy called after them.

"You're Dean? How old are you kid?"

Dean's hand squeezed his tighter and Sam could feel tears coming now.

"I'm ah…I'm fifteen and my dad…he's waiting over there," and Dean looked toward the other end of the stadium… "he's looking over that way and I need to meet him." And before she could ask his brother any more questions, Dean clutched Sam's hand and they walked quickly away, back through the crowd and Dean kept looking over his shoulder, but after a bit, they slowed down and Dean stopped, looking down at Sam's face. "Hey, hey…what's that?" Dean pointed a finger at Sam's watery eyes and then bonked him on the nose, smiling again when Sam laughed. "You're not in trouble buddy…don't worry…Dad will be here soon, so we'll wait here…nice hat."

Sam nodded, reaching up to feel the rim of the Orioles cap on his head. "Dean, why did you tell that lady you were fifteen?"

"Hey, I can pass for fifteen, don't you think?"

Sam didn't know…what did fifteen year olds look like? Dean was only just twelve, but he nodded anyway, happy to see that bad look was gone from his brother's face and knowing he needed to tell Dean he was sorry for making him scared.

"I'm sorry, Dean…I'm sorry I got…I really didn't need to pee, I just wanted a drink and I…"

Dean held up his hand, "Sam…you need to tell me the truth, okay…always tell me the truth, even if you think I'm not gonna like it. I can't watch out for you if I don't know where you are, so next time just tell me you need a drink."

"Kay…you want some?" Sam offered his cotton candy, wanting to share some, because he had seen the way Dean had been looking at the man selling it too.

"Nah, buddy…you eat it."

Sam opened the bag, pulling out a piece and shoved it in his mouth, licking his fingers sticky and then passed the bag at his brother. "Stacy said it's for being brave, Dean and you're brave too."

Dean relented, taking out a piece and sucking his own fingers.

"And you found me," Sam said as Dean passed the bag back and he plucked off another piece, leaving the bag between them.

"I told you I would…I'll always find you, Sammy."

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End file.
